Telehealth Research in France: A 20-Year Bibliometric Study from 2004 to 2023

Introduction: Telemedicine research in France remains relatively underexplored, with a notable absence of comprehensive literature reviews or bibliometric analyses guiding research prioritization and funding allocation for public health interests. The objective of this study is to provide a comprehensive overview of telehealth research in France, elucidating its current trends and primary funding sources. Methods: A bibliometric analysis was conducted spanning a 20-year period from January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2023, using six open-access databases, including the Ministry of Health of France (public research funding), Health Data Hub (research protocols from France), Clinicaltrials.gov (global repository of research protocols), PubMed (scientific publications), Theses.fr (PhD database in France), and DUMAS (master's and doctorate theses database in France). Results: The French Ministry of Health funded 41 telehealth research projects between 2009 and 2022, amounting to €15 million, which constituted 1.1% of all projects funded during this period. 279 study protocols were identified on ClinicalTrials.gov, peaking in 2021 with 58 protocols (20.8%), representing 5.8% of worldwide protocols. Public hospitals provided most of the funding (66%), with 18% coming from the industry. A total of 1,254 publications related to telehealth were identified in PubMed, representing 2.5% of worldwide telehealth publications. Discussions: This is the first study in France and Europe to describe the trends in telehealth research over a 20-year period. Telehealth research in France started in the early 2000s, had a linear growth between 2011 and 2021, peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic, and decreased in 2022 and 2023. All types of telehealth interactions were covered, and funding came mostly from public sources. Funding for telehealth research was however limited and should be increased in France.